Elizabethtown Area SD board chooses full new-build for high school and middle school, 6–3

The Elizabethtown Area School District board voted 6–3 to pursue a full new-build of a combined high school and middle school campus after debating three options presented in an RLPS feasibility study. Board President Kelly Carter said the board would move forward with the option presented by RLPS and directed staff to prepare a contract for solicitor review and schematic work.

The decision concluded a lengthy discussion in which trustees weighed immediate borrowing capacity and taxpayer impact against anticipated long-term maintenance and operating savings. Facilities committee chair Mr. Gillis, who moved the motion, argued a new build would save money over time and reduce recurring system failures. “My recommendation from a facilities perspective would be a new build,” Gillis said during discussion, adding the new build will save maintenance and operating costs down the road.

Opponents favored a hybrid approach. Finance committee chair Mrs. Bazarian and other trustees said the hybrid (renovate high school + build new middle school) addressed most urgent system failures while requiring less short-term borrowing. Bazarian urged caution about placing the district ‘‘house poor’’ and noted hybrid estimates were a smaller immediate burden on taxpayers.

Timeline and next steps: board members were told construction would not begin before 2027 and that the district must finalize financing and secure bids. President Carter directed administration to have the OPS/architect and solicitor prepare a contract so the board can begin formal design work.

Votes at a glance: - Building project (choice among three RLPS options): option c (full new-build) approved 6–3. The board instructed staff to proceed with contract drafting and design work. - East High HVAC contract (Quandell): motion to accept the bid carried on roll-call, 6–3. (Note: presentation materials earlier referenced a bid figure of $6,252,000; the motion as recorded in minutes cited a bid amount of $6,625,000.) - Voluntary early-retirement incentive: approved (motion carried). The plan as described by the finance committee offered $10,000 plus district-paid health insurance until age 65 for eligible employees under 65 with at least 10 years’ service and $20,000 for those over 65 (no insurance), with an April 30 deadline to accept. - Group consent items (minutes, waste removal bids, Bear Creek gym floor bids, asphalt maintenance, a new student activity, Leader in Me contract, 2026–27 music field trip, IDEA Part B agreement discussion, first- and second-reading policies): approved by group roll-call. - MRA/Leader-in-Me student survey motion: failed on roll-call. - Finance and personnel reports: approved on roll-call.

What it means: The approved new-build direction commits the district to a planning and financing path that trustees said could require new borrowing and later tax actions; proponents argued it prevents repeated, piecemeal fixes. Opponents urged that a hybrid approach would be fiscally more cautious. The board’s direction now moves the district into contract drafting, architect selection and formal financing steps.

The board will consider the resulting contract, schematic designs and bond/borrowing strategy in coming meetings before any final construction contract is executed.